Canada will be celebrating its 150th birthday in 2017. Ottawa, as the nation’s capital, will play a role in hosting the celebrations and the city’s many expected tourists. The Byward Market, arguably the city’s heart, will be thrust on a national platform.

But what will the visitors see? A Byward Market of cars and parking lots, or a vibrant, people-centred historic market? On July 8, Ottawa’s City Council will be taking an important step in deciding what the ByWard Market will look like in 2017.

The Term of Council Priorities for 2015 to 2018 are coming to a vote. Once approved, these priorities will form the basis of the city’s Strategic Plan. And included in the proposed council priorities is a section on the redevelopment of the ByWard Market.

These redevelopment plans imagine the Market Building dedicated to selling fresh food year-round, and a pedestrian-friendly market, with streetscapes that invite people to stay and enjoy the local, fresh produce stands, have a meal on a patio, or just people-watch on a bench.

Specifically, the ByWard Market building needs restoration and upgrades and the surrounding buildings and streets (William, George and ByWard) are in need of cleaning and streetscaping. By 2017, William Street should be pedestrian only. Pedestrian crossings need to be installed across from both side doors of the ByWard Market building. In the longer-term, York Street should be converted from the parking lot that it is now to a market gathering place. As visitors to the city descend the steps from Major’s Hill Park to the ByWard Market, the first thing they see should not be a parking lot. But by Canada’s 150th birthday, minimally, the York Street parking should be reconfigured to allow space for a larger centre island with marked pedestrian crossings and a sitting area.

But why should the focus be on redeveloping the ByWard Market? It’s not just because of its proximity to Parliament Hill, nor is it solely because the market is a tourist and business hub. Revitalizing one of Canada’s oldest and continuously operated markets for Canada’s 150th birthday makes sense. Lt-Col. John By, himself, designed the street plan for the ByWard Market in 1826. Lt-Col. By planned for extra wide streets at George Street and York Street to accommodate public markets and gathering places. The ByWard Market was always envisioned as a gathering place for Canadians.

Ottawa’s council has been presented with longer-term redevelopment plans for the ByWard Market. These plans imagine a market that favours underground parking and new market buildings to replace the present above-ground, multi-level parking. It favours the levelling of sidewalks so that streets are shared with cyclists, pedestrians and fewer and slower-moving cars. It favours the planting of trees, and creation of public spaces and focal points with benches and fountains.

But with 2017 and the 150th birthday celebrations fast approaching and with a construction moratorium for 2017, to realize the vision of a revitalized ByWard Market, the Term Council Priorities must be approved on July 8 and the work of building the new market must start now.

But in addition to approving the Council Priorities for the ByWard Market, sufficient funds must be budgeted to get the work done. Unfortunately, so far, the city has only proposed/committed approximately $1 million. The city, however, has also requested funding from the new federal Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program. This program will provide funding to communities so renovation and expansion projects can be completed for Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations.

The ByWard Market redevelopment plan has the support of the community and local businesses. It will, hopefully, be approved by as a Term of Council Priority, and will also, hopefully, receive the Canada 150 federal funds.

Still, even with the federal funding, additional funds are needed to get the work done by 2017. What is needed is a $10 million budget. And we can get there with additional support from the city, the province and with private-public partnerships.

Given the importance of the ByWard Market to our city, $10 million is not very much money. To put it in perspective, the City of Ottawa spends much more than $10 million, each year, just to widen roads in the city’s suburbs. This comparatively small investment will contribute enormously to the revitalization of the city’s number one tourist attraction.

In 2017, Canada will be having a party. And Ottawa will be its main host. Imagine. What kind of host will we be? What will our city look like? And what kind of legacy will this celebration leave the city and its residents? Ottawa’s council can go a long way in answering these questions by passing the Council Priorities and appropriately funding the much-needed work. We can’t just imagine the city. We need to build it.

Liz Bernstein is the President of the Lowertown Community Association.

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